Prescribed burn planned west of Washoe Lake

The Nevada Division of Forestry, in cooperation with the University of Nevada, Reno, will be conducting a prescribed burn in the Whittell Forest, located on the east slope of the Sierra Nevada in Little Valley, about three miles west of Washoe Lake and 2 1/2 miles northeast of Lake Tahoe. The burn is scheduled for late September or early October and will be dependent on weather conditions.

The purpose of this burn is to use accepted forest management techniques to protect important meadow ecosystems by removing conifer encroachment and a heavy layer of matted grass. This will create healthy stands in forested areas and form a shaded fuel break to help protect structures on the west end of Washoe Valley from the threat of wildland fire.

A community meeting is at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8 at Washoe Valley Volunteer Fire Department, 345 Bellevue Road in Washoe Valley, to explain aspects of the burn, general forest health, fuel reduction goals, the operational plan, research projects associated with the burn and to answer questions from residents.